When he saw the old man who had just sent him flying sitting on the ground, seemingly occupied with Yang Yi, he struggled to regulate his surging true energy. With a sudden surge, he lunged toward Yang Yi.

Xiu'er stepped forward to block, casting a sidelong glance at Yang Yitian, who was seated on the ground, and Yang Yi. Her heart grew heavy.

She channeled the nearly chaotic true energy within her, shooting forward in a single stride, palm extended, stirring up shimmering waves of heat—the very essence of a Grandmaster at the absolute pinnacle of his domain. CRASH!!!

Ye Han’s fist slammed into Xiu'er’s palm, followed by a sharp rebound and a kick. Xiu’er, unable to react in time, cried out, and the next moment she was swept off her feet and sent flying to the side.

As his gaze fixed ahead, he saw the rosy complexion of Yang Yi and paused, a flicker of realization crossing his mind. "Internal force transfer?" he muttered, forcing down the pain racking his own body, and shot toward Yang Yi.

Though Yang Yitian kept his eyes closed, utterly focused on fusing his own internal energy with the sixty-year-old foreign energy within Yang Yi to evolve it into the most potent martial arts Neijin (Inner Strength), he could still sense Ye Han’s attack bearing down on them. A blast of palm wind, carrying an inexplicable energy.

Ye Han roared, and the entire sweep of his palm struck between Yang Yitian and Yang Yi. But in that instant, Yang Yitian’s free left hand shoved backward, instantly displacing both him and Yang Yi a full meter away.

"Husband!" Xiu'er could barely suppress the scarlet blood welling at her lips; clearly, she lacked the strength even to stand. Yang Yitian internally cried out that things were dire, as the process he was undertaking required just a little more time, yet Ye Han’s assault was now terrifyingly close.

Thump! Thump!

Thump! Ye Han unleashed three successive waves of energy wind—a secret inheritance of his Heavenly Ghost lineage, an arrogant application of their art.

It was akin to an elemental wind manipulator, but a master three tiers above that classification. Undeniably, though severely wounded, the current Ye Han was still driven by his ambition to slay Yang Yi, seize control of the Black God Gang, and conquer the capital.

Splat! Yang Yitian managed to evade two waves of energy, but the final one struck him squarely.

He sprayed a mist of blood directly onto Yang Yi’s face. It was as if that spray of blood triggered something.

Yang Yi, whose eyes had been steadily closed, suddenly snapped them open. Seeing his grandfather covered in blood, his face deathly pale, Yang Yi felt a violent wrench in his heart.

"Don't move yet, just a little longer!" Yang Yitian sensed Yang Yi’s agitation and cautioned him softly. "Aaaargh!" Ye Han suddenly shrieked, clasping his hands together.

Razor-sharp energy winds began to churn around him. His tightly shut eyes snapped open, a cold glint flashing within them.

"Ha!" "Husband!" Seeing two blasts of palm wind hurtling toward Yang Yi and Yang Yitian, Xiu'er fought through the state where her true energy was tearing her meridians apart, launching herself forward. She seemed intent on using her own body to intercept those two bizarre energy winds.

Of course, Yang Yi’s eyes widened in alarm upon sensing this. He tried to shout, but for some inexplicable reason, he found his mouth utterly incapable of forming a sound.

Boom!... In a flash of lightning and flint, two more figures suddenly materialized.

One figure leaped away to the side, carrying Xiu’er. The other figure exhaled a devastating surge of energy between his palms, swiftly blocking the energy winds Ye Han had launched.

He gritted his teeth and roared, "Ha!" The two energy winds were deflected to the side—a motion resembling the 'four ounces deflecting a thousand pounds' technique. Once deflected, the energy winds struck where Tian Si and the others were locked in combat.

Six Paths of Reincarnation felt the fierce wind surge from behind and immediately dodged, but those engaged directly with him had no time to react. They were slammed hard by the two energy winds, all five men sent flying to crash motionlessly nearby.

"Such powerful Qi!" The blocker was a white-haired elder, his heart filled with awe. Not long ago, when he had encountered Ye Han, the elder had been confident of victory, but now, he could only fight him to a draw, and Ye Han was already heavily injured.

"Rong'er, are you alright?" "Grandpa, I'm fine!" Unmistakably, the timely arrivals were Yang Xuan and Yang Rong. Yang Rong looked at Xiu'er, now unconscious in her embrace, and quickly checked her pulse.

She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that they had arrived in time, or Xiu'er would have perished. Turning to look at Yang Yi, whose face was streaming with tears and twisted in fury, she nodded.

"She just sustained relatively severe internal injuries. She will be fine with proper rest; there is no immediate danger to her life!" "Yang Xuan?

Yang Rong?" Ye Han’s heart seized upon seeing the two before him, and he called out coldly. Yang Xuan glanced sideways at Yang Yi’s position, calculating they needed only a moment longer.

He then faced Ye Han squarely and said, "Ye Han, no, Sect Master of the Heavenly Ghost lineage. Do you truly believe you still have a chance of winning now?" Ye Han clutched his chest, wanting to cough but suppressing the urge.

He quickly tapped a few pressure points on his body, took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes, and said coldly, "What exactly are you implying?" "The Heavenly Ghost lineage has already fallen to my Heavenly Dragon lineage. After deliberation, our two lineages have reached a treaty of friendship, henceforth swearing never to cross paths again.

They already know about your utilization of the Ten Elders of the Heavenly Ghost. As for the position of the Heavenly Ghost Sect Master..." "What do you mean by what I'm saying?" Yang Xuan thought, aiming to stall for as long as possible until Old Yang finished his task.

"What did you say?" Ye Han’s eyes bulged at the news, and one could only imagine the spectacle of his expression. After all, Yang Xuan and Yang Rong's presence here undeniably meant the fall of the Heavenly Ghost lineage.

In other words, Ye Han was no longer its Sect Master. Furthermore, since the Ten Elders of the Heavenly Ghost had learned how they were manipulated by him, and given their immense ambitions for China, they had immediately recalled all Heavenly Ghost forces stationed in the capital—a decisive defeat, needless to say.

"Oh, and one more thing!" Yang Xuan felt Old Yang nearing completion behind him, prompting him to push harder. "You are now alone.

Your forces outside the Forbidden City will likely be completely annihilated by the Black God Gang in about ten minutes!" Thud! Ye Han’s heart sank heavily, and a mouthful of blood erupted from him, uncontained.

He was practically consumed by rage. "The fighting outside the Forbidden City is even more ferocious.

Thanks to Yang Yi’s meticulous planning, Fatty Lin, Ye Xiaohou, Xu Ming, Xuanyuan Bing, and the Ten Generals have been defending fiercely. Your forces advancing on the capital are already on the verge of total collapse.

You, Ye Han, have lost the Battle of the Forbidden City!" Yang Xuan remarked venomously as Ye Han vomited blood. "Why?

Why did this happen..." Ye Han’s eyes darted wildly. His plans had been near perfect, yet he was met with this news.

"No, I don't believe it. I refuse to believe what you are saying." "Alas, Ye Han, Ye Han.

You lost because you were too arrogant, never listening to others' counsel. Yang Yi is different; he considers good advice, utilizes it well, and treats people kindly.

That is why he commands a host of people utterly loyal to him unto death. Your three major sects guarding the northern perimeter were infiltrated by Yang Yi’s forces long ago.

You have lost this battle utterly." "Are you saying the three major sects betrayed me?" "Precisely. Don't treat them like fools.

Their ancestors would never permit them to commit the idiocy of plotting against the nation's sovereign." Pfft! A spray of blood—this was not the first time Ye Han had coughed up blood.

His heart ached intensely, filled with hatred and resentment, a bitterness toward everyone who had abandoned him at this crucial moment. As all that resentment and bitterness surged through his mind, his expression turned grim.

"Die, die! I want you all to die!" "Do you think you still have a chance?" Yang Yi's voice suddenly cut through the air.

He looked at Yang Yitian, whose face was covered in cold sweat and who looked significantly older. "Grandpa, Yi'er has failed you.

I should have listened to your teachings more closely!" "There is still time later," Yang Yitian replied with a contented smile. "I'm a bit tired; let me rest for a while." "Okay, Yi'er will definitely prepare breakfast tomorrow and wake you up." Yang Yi watched his grandfather close his eyes peacefully, a sudden tightness gripping his chest.

He turned and commanded, "Six Paths of Reincarnation!" "Here!" "Send my grandfather back first." "As you command!" Yang Yi turned to face Ye Han, walking toward him via the shortest route. He carried no imposing aura, yet his face held an expression of absolute calm and composure.

It was precisely this expression that caused Ye Han to stare at Yang Yi with a furrowed brow, a mysterious, crushing pressure building within him. "You...

how could you?" Ye Han stared at Yang Yi in utter disbelief. Though he sensed no martial aura from Yang Yi, he felt an overwhelming oppression emanating from him.

"Hmph. The highest realm of martial arts is not defined by rank, but by personal application." Yang Yi strode toward Ye Han, his steps slow but his movement incredibly swift, appearing right before Ye Han in the blink of an eye.

He reached out one hand and clamped it onto Ye Han's throat. The latter stared at Yang Yi in terror, rapidly channeling his true energy, condensing an energy wind in one hand to chop at Yang Yi’s arm.

However, just as he was about to strike Yang Yi’s arm, he was sent flying by three unseen kicks from Yang Yi. Simultaneously, Yang Yi’s form flickered, seeming to move in tandem with Ye Han as he was kicked away.

Ye Han’s offensive power had been so formidable moments ago, but now he was utterly incapable of retaliation. For Yang Yi, Ye Han’s attacks posed no threat whatsoever.

Yang Yitian had expended seventy percent of his life’s power to fuse the true energy within him, transforming it into the most formidable and devastating Neijin among martial arts grandmaster techniques. It must be said, Yang Yi had clearly been saved by Yang Yitian this time, who had also endowed him with the supreme internal martial arts mastery of a grandmaster expert.

Appearing beside Ye Han just as he was mid-air, Yang Yi, his face cold and brows tightly knitted, struck Ye Han repeatedly. The assault seemed random, yet to any discerning eye, it was a pity.

Had Ye Han not strayed onto the crooked path, had he not harbored such immense ambition, he too could have been considered a generation’s master. After all, he was close to Yang Yi’s age, and his martial attainment was currently a full level higher than Yang Yi’s.

All this confirmed that Yang Yi was now crippling Ye Han’s martial arts. "Aaaargh!!!" Ye Han wailed continuously until he lay on the ground, a tear tracing a path down his cheek.

"Relax, I will not kill you," Yang Yi said, looking down at the weeping Ye Han on the ground. "Why won't you kill me?" "Because I made a promise to a couple, and to a good brother.

Since I couldn't persuade you back to the righteous path, the only option left is to cripple your martial arts so you can reflect thoroughly on the remainder of your life!" Yang Yi finished, then looked up toward the main gates of the Forbidden City and called out, "Uncle Ye, Auntie Ye, you can come out now!" Suddenly, two figures leaped swiftly and landed beside Yang Yi. The middle-aged woman knelt beside Ye Han, murmuring, "Han'er!" "Thank you," said the middle-aged man, Ye Long, former head of the Ye family and Ye Han’s father.

"No, Uncle. Nephew hopes you can forgive everything I have done to him!" Ye Long took a deep breath.

He was a man who found it difficult to express his sorrow. He approached Ye Han, lifted him up, and murmured, "Han'er, from this day forward, we shall retreat to the mountains and live quietly." Ye Han had remained silent since his parents appeared, but the tears in his eyes indicated he knew he had truly lost, and lost completely!

After the three had departed, Yang Yi turned back to look at Yang Xuan and Yang Rong, his eyes filled with a complex sorrow. Though he hadn't heard or confirmed anything from their mouths, Yang Yi knew well that one was his grandfather and the other his sister—his only remaining kin in the world.

"Xiao Yi!" "Yi'er!" Yang Xuan and Yang Rong watched as Yang Yi scaled the outer wall of the Forbidden City, standing there with his eyes closed, taking a deep breath. Looking out at the vibrant lights and the peaceful scene beyond, they instantly understood that everything outside was fully under control.

They released the pent-up desires of their hearts, their faces alight with excitement. "Brothers and sisters of the Black God Gang, you have endured hardship well!" The sound wasn't loud, yet it seemed amplified, carrying across the entire capital.

Especially from his vantage point, his imposing, resolute figure could be seen for a hundred li around—the King who stood at the apex, his hands stained with blood! After a long moment, Yang Yi finally turned back to look at Yang Xuan and Yang Rong, who had been watching him intently.

His eyes flickered slightly. "Grandpa, Sister, it is time for us to go home." "Go...

go home. Yes, home." Yang Rong covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face—tears of joy mixed with relief!

Yang Xuan’s eyes were also blurred with tears; it seemed that this single sentence made the inner pain and mental torment he had endured for years feel worthwhile in this moment.